I have already chronicled our challenges managing the translation review process for our global web site roll-out. But another issue that crops up is who is really managing the translation agency and the internal review teams? Large organizations will often have a dedicated localization manager. But most mid-sized and small organizations likely can’t staff that role full-time.

So what then?

In prior companies I worked at, the person managing the web site took it on, and relied on the project manager from the translation agency to make sure it goes smoothly. Problem with this model is that the agency isn’t much help on the internal side of things, where projects often get stuck.

We were fortunate to find a contractor who could fill that internal project manager. He had been at an agency and could help bridge the gap between what the agency needed and what we needed to accomplish. And since he worked for us, he was able to push the agency when it was required, and yet still partner with the internal folks to keep things on track.

This wound up being a crucial role for us as the scope of the project constantly shifted, and the internal strategy shifted around. If you have someone in the role, good for you, make sure you have the tools in place to support them. If you don’t, make sure that everyone knows what aspect of the project they own.